Look: Davhon Keys leads Aledo over Midlothian in UIL 5A football playoffs
ALEDO, Texas - The Aledo Bearcats snuck by their old foe, the Midlothian Panthers, 27-21 in the UIL 5A football regional semifinal round thanks in part to two late fourth quarter plays by junior Davhon Keys.
The 3-star linebacker scored the go-ahead touchdown with under three minutes remaining, and on the ensuing drive made the game-saving tackle on fourth down to keep Midlothian out of the end zone to solidify the win.
Keys led the defense with 14 tackles, and added 26 yards rushing on 3 carries and a touchdown.
“It’s a great feeling,” Keys said after the game. “Last year we lost in the third round, and I didn’t want it to happen again. I wasn’t going to let it happen. I went all out, and did everything I could so my team could prosper.”
Aledo started the game on a high note, driving down the field in four and a half minutes and scoring on a 14-yard run by Hawk Patrick-Daniels to take an early 7-0 lead. The Panthers’ offense had no trouble going on a drive of their own, but stalled in Bearcat territory and failed to convert on fourth down.
On the very next play, Aledo quarterback Hauss Hejny called his own number and sliced through the defense and ran 71 yards for a touchdown, making it a 14-0 score after one quarter.
Hejny completed 12 of his 18 pass attempts for 122 yards, adding 107 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
Patrick-Daniels finished with 10 carries for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Midlothian quickly responded. Fullback Michael Garber broke a 48-yard run to open the second quarter, putting the Panthers at the three yard line. On the next play, he finished the job, getting Midlothian on the board.
Garber led the way for the Panthers, totaling 111 yards on 19 carries and 3 touchdowns.
Both defenses stood tall on the next two drives, and it appeared Aledo would add three points on a field goal, but it sailed wide to the right.
After the missed field goal, De’ago Benson broke a long run for the Panthers, setting up a 5-yard scoring run by Garber to tie the game going into the break.
Both offenses struggled at the start of the third quarter, before Midlothian went on a 14 play, 89 yard drive, capped off with a 3-yard touchdown by Garber. Aledo was then forced to punt as the third quarter expired with a 21-14 Panther advantage.
The Bearcats’ defense was able to dig in its heels and force a punt to start the final frame. On the ensuing drive, Patrick-Daniels led the offense down the field and scored from 19-yards out to tie the game at 21.
Aledo pinned the Panthers deep on the ensuing kickoff and forced a three-and-out to get great field position. Facing fourth down and one at the 20 yard line, Keys checked in to take the snap out of the heavy package. He followed his blocks, cut back and waltzed into the end zone to give the Bearcats the lead.
“The play was designed to go left,” Keys mentioned. “So I was looking left, everything was crowded. I peeked right and I saw my linemen collapse the hole and it was just wide open outside of them. So I took off…”
After the extra point sailed wide, the score remained 27-21 and Midlothian saw an opportunity to snatch victory from Aledo. It took just two plays for the Panthers to get into Bearcat territory, but they were unable to get much further.
The Aledo defense was able to force a fourth down with 1:19 remaining in regulation. Midlothian called their bread-and-butter play but Keys snuffed it out and made the tackle at the line of scrimmage to get the ball back.
Hejny kneeled out the clock, and the Bearcats clinched a spot in the state quarterfinal.
Aledo (11-2) will face district opponent Burleson Centennial (12-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco. The Bearcats defeated Centennial 64-21 earlier in the season.
PHOTO GALLERY
(All photos by Brian McLean)
Photo by Brian McLean
Photo by Brian McLean
